Beautiful Faces
by pandanarchy
Summary: Mostly Angst and Fluff. High School AU. Aoba is having a rough time and he's always been bad at holding his liquor. He arrives at Koujaku's party already drunk and proceeds to cause trouble for Mink, who has to take care of him.


**A/N: Happy Birthday to my beautiful friend Anna (Tumblr user hotchocletymink) I hope you like this, and I hope you have an amazing birthday!**

The booming of the bass line could be heard from several blocks away. Without the moon visible, the night was dark and hard to navigate in and it didn't help that this particular street was only illuminated by a single flickering streetlight. Aoba's paces were clumsy as he staggered along the footpath, the toe of his right boot almost catching on the uneven pavers. He waved his arms around, his throat making a strained, panicked noise, and managed to regain his balance without losing any teeth to the concrete. He jammed his hands into the warm pockets of his ski jacket and continued ambling slowly towards the flashing lights and loud laughter.

He didn't want to be here. Not really. He thought he'd much rather be at home, curled up in his blankets and safely hidden amongst his pillows. He didn't feel like dealing with the world when thunder was rumbling in the distance. The sharpness of the night air sent a shiver running down his spine. An unfriendly wind whipped through trees, making the leaves restless and carrying the scent of oncoming rain. Aoba hugged his blue and white jacket tighter around his body as the first droplets of rain began to splatter against cheeks. They were like tiny, icy bullets and they didn't do much for his mood.

As he drew closer to the source of all the noise, the amount of parked cars by the side of the road began to increase. With perfectly timed grace, a patch in the clouds parted and allowed the pale moonlight to penetrate the shadows. Aoba happened to catch a glimpse of his reflection in the side panel of a shiny new Volkswagen. He frowned and leant closer, wobbly on his feet but determined to study his dishevelled appearance. He groaned faintly, almost unable to believe the messy looking boy in the reflection was really him. Did he always look like this? What did people think of him? The light drizzle slowly grew heavier, making his hair stick to his temples and tangle at the back. It stuck together in clumps, flicking up in places that didn't usually flick up and just generally looking unkempt. Raindrops pattered against his face and jacket and he blinked several times, his vision slightly blurred. His skin was pale and his eyes were red rimmed, with silver tracks trailing down his cheeks. Oh. He hadn't even realised he'd been crying. The tears melted together with the rain and dripped off his chin. He almost laughed at himself for being so pathetic, but his chest felt hollow and empty and he couldn't even force out a light chuckle.

Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, his lack of coordination threw him off balance and he suddenly found himself stumbling towards the car, unsure of what was going on. He thrust a palm out to break the fall, and narrowly saved himself with his arm outstretched and his hand flat against the side of the car. As he righted himself once more, a deafening screeching car alarm began to sound and Aoba jerked back in surprise, almost stumbling over his own feet this time. The headlights and indicators were flashing mercilessly and he didn't know what to do. But he didn't want to be mistaken for a car thief, so he gathered himself together and began to jog away as quickly as he could without tripping over.

He really didn't want to be here. He wanted to call Mizuki. To apologise. To hear his voice. To make things right between them. But he knew he'd just get voicemail again. It had been the same thing all afternoon, bleeding into the evening. After the six angry text messages, Aoba hadn't heard anything from Mizuki and he doubted he would any time in the near future. His feet thudded hard against the pavers, the shadowy scenery around him a blur that he wasn't even paying attention to. His breath came in short pants and the rain was relentlessly beating down on his back, seeping through his jeans and plastering his hair to his face and neck.

Despite his mind lingering in the past, Aoba's body was steadily making its way towards Koujaku's house and the music was steadily growing louder. His best friend had invited him to this party weeks ago and he'd already promised he'd go. Even if he was in a sorry state, he couldn't go back on his word. For some reason, his heart swelled with warmth at the thought of Koujaku. He felt like he really owed the guy. He just wanted to hug Koujaku and see him smile and tell him how much he appreciated their friendship. He knew Koujaku would help him through his breakup with Mizuki. He could always count on the guy. If it wasn't still raining, Aoba might have stopped in the middle of the footpath to call Koujaku and tell him all this now. That would have been a great idea. But unfortunately it was still raining so he'd have to wait until he got to the party.

He sighed roughly, running his fingers through his shaggy blue hair and trying his best to push it out of his eyes. He rounded the corner and the street he turned onto had more working street lights. He was glad he could least see where he was going now, but he still felt grouchy about the rain and he still wanted to go home. He probably wouldn't have minded jogging through the rain if it was to see Mizuki. He let out another sigh which turned into a pained groan. That was where all of his thoughts kept ending up. It was like his mind was a scratched record.

Finally, Aoba could see Koujaku's house. Apart from the blinking fairy lights wrapped around the balcony railing, it was exactly as he remembered it, with the unbelievably steep driveway and untidy lawn. He slowed his pace down to a casual walk and began his careful ascent up the driveway, which was made even more difficult than necessary for three reasons: 1) The music pumping through the sound system was sending vibrations through the ground, 2) The concrete was slippery from the rain, and 3) Aoba was already pretty heavily intoxicated.

Silently cursing Koujaku's driveway, Aoba took shelter under the narrow awning, balling his hand into a fist and rapping his knuckles against the wooden doorframe. He waited patiently, leaning most of his weight against one of the poles that supported the balcony. A few moments passed and Aoba began tapping his foot impatiently. Even if it was a party, he wouldn't just let himself inside. The music drowned out his thoughts about Mizuki along with most sounds but if Aoba strained his ears, he could hear squealing and laughter and maybe even the soft grunting of people having sex. Eventually, the door swung open violently, the scent of sweat and strong liquor violently assaulting Aoba's nose. Koujaku loomed in the doorway, towering over Aoba. A grin briefly flashed across his face, which was shining with sweat. His took in Aoba's appearance for a split second, and his expression quickly turned into one of concern.

Aoba lurched forwards to hug his friend and fulfil his greatest wish at that moment. His feet scrabbled on the ground and he tumbled into Koujaku, whose strong grip easily supported him. "Koujaku!" Aoba blubbered, his voice surprisingly slurred. "Kou...jaku..." His words caught in his throat and he felt like he was going to choke on them, torn between wanting to tell Koujaku he was a great friend and wanting to complain about Mizuki. He whined pathetically and wrapped his arms around Koujaku in an awkward hug. "Koujaku," he whispered. "Koujaku."

The taller boy's chest heaved as he sighed and pried Aoba's arms off of him. "Are you alright?" Koujaku asked seriously, his brow furrowing deeply. The stench of scotch clung to his clothes but he was apparently unaffected by however much alcohol he'd consumed. Aoba's eyes glazed over and his focus seemed to drift away from the present, so Koujaku lightly slapped his cheek to get his attention. "Aoba, answer me. Are you alright? I heard what happened with Mizuki..."

A strange giggle escaped Aoba before he could help it and he swayed on his feet even with Koujaku holding him up. "I'm fine," he replied in a strangled tone, blinking back another torrent of tears. He didn't want to cry in front of his best friend. How weak would that look? "Really, it ended on good...on good terms. It was...a mutual thing, you know?" That was a blatant lie and they both knew it.

"You didn't have to come," Koujaku told him gently, his expression filled with understanding. "Just go home, Aoba." The blue haired boy looked conflicted, chewing on his lip and screwing his face up in thought. With how unstable he was on his feet, Koujaku figured thinking was probably a little difficult for Aoba at this stage. He opened his mouth to speak again and reassure Aoba that he shouldn't feel bad about going home, but Aoba interrupted him with a sudden outburst.

"No!" Aoba snapped, shoving his hands against Koujaku's chest and pushing him away. He eyed Koujaku off, waving a finger at him threateningly. "I promised I'd be here and I'm here...I'm going to be here! It was a promise and I'm gonna..." He was vaguely aware his drunken rambling was going around in circles, but he wanted to be sure that he got his point across. "Koujaku...such a good...you're such a good friend, Koujaku. I need to be here for you. You just went through a breakup and I need to be here. No, that's not right...I just went through a...and you need to..."

Koujaku shook his head slowly, letting out a low chuckle that carried exhausted undertones. He gave Aoba one last, long calculating look and moved aside, gesturing reluctantly for him to go inside. If Aoba was so determined to keep his promise about showing up, then Koujaku decided the least he could do was take care of the blue haired idiot. He knew what Aoba was like when he was drunk. Hey, wait a second! Koujaku stood on his tip-toes and peered over the sea of dancing, chattering heads but underneath the strobe and other colourful lights, it was impossible to tell where Aoba had disappeared to.

Sweaty, greasy bodies pressed against Aoba from all sides, invading his personal space and nearly suffocating him. They moved in time with the beat of the music, a fast tempo that dictated their grinding and gyrating. A few people were yelling, trying to raise their voices above everything else and have a conversation, but Aoba thought a party was a stupid place for a conversation. This was where you came to drink and dance and have strangers rub themselves against you and maybe get a hand job if you're lucky, or a little bit of vomit on your shirt if you're unlucky.

Weaving his way between the people, Aoba made a B-line for the large red cooler filled with drinks. Rummaging around in the ice, the cogs in his slow mind seemed frozen too, turning at a painful rate while he tried to decide what to drink next. He remembered, or thought he remembered, something about mixing drinks being bad. But he couldn't really remember what he'd been drinking earlier, so that didn't help him much. He chose a lime green coloured drink, purely because it was the only lime green coloured drink in the ice box and it looked lonely. His hands were still moist from the rain and he struggled with the twist-cap. He opened the bottle with his teeth and took a sip of the fruity liquid, surprised to find his tastebuds tingling pleasantly.

With the combination of Aoba's fuzzy eyes, the colourful flashing lights and the amount of movement going on, most of the cheerful faces around him were unrecognisable, but a few people nodded in his direction, or twinkled their fingers in a greeting. He twinkled his fingers back at one girl, his drink almost slipping from his hand. Oops. After a few moments of hard squinting, he was able to figure out who some of the guests were. A lot of them were from his school, but some of them he didn't know at all. A group of girls from his English class were dancing in the corner with some guys from his Art class. A couple of guys from IT were lingering by the doorway, shuffling their feet and looking awkward. There were two sofas in the corner of the room, placed furthest away from the sound system. Four people were draped over one of them, not facing Aoba, and sitting alone on the other sofa was...Mink?

He was hunched over with his shoulders slumped, his elbows resting on his knees and his chin resting in one hand. His mouth was a hard, flat line and the sharp, angular features of his face were settled into a completely uninterested expression, but the deep crease between his eyebrows and the permanent slant of them made him look slightly irritated about something. His long dreadlocks framed his face and his hulking size was enough to intimidate anyone – that was probably why he was sitting alone. But there was no mistaking him. Aoba was certain that was Mink. He recognised him from his PE class in his junior year.

Ah, the days of playing sports with the tallest, probably strongest and definitely scariest boy in school. Aoba remembered them fondly. During one lesson, they'd been playing dodge ball and Mink's entire hand had encased one of the balls. The concentration was glimmering in Mink's eyes as he aimed carefully and sent the ball flying straight at Aoba, who was puberty's captive at the time. Awkward and slow, gawky and uncoordinated, Aoba hadn't had the reflexes to dodge or defend in time, and the ball hit him squarely in the face, knocking him backwards off his feet. The rest of the incident had been a daze, but he distinctly remembered his nose bleeding all over his shirt and being worried that Granny would snap his ear off for ruining yet another sports uniform.

Looking at Mink's bored body language now, Aoba was sure it had been an accident. There was no way anyone would intentionally hit someone in the face with a dodge ball. If Koujaku had been there, he probably would have told Aoba it was a bad idea, but the influence of alcohol gave him a false sense of bravado. Aoba pushed past a few people and made his way over to the sofa, thinking it was about time he confronted Mink about the famous dodge ball fiasco and get some honest answers out of him.

The sofa cushions sagged beside Mink under the pressure of someone else's weight, but he didn't turn his head to see who had joined him. He already knew who it was and a nervous sweat was breaking out across his forehead. He'd spotted Aoba as soon as he'd walked in, and was well aware that the boy had been staring at him for several minutes. He was restless and fidgeting and he wanted to know why Aoba had been staring at him. Actually, he also wanted to know why Aoba had suddenly decided to sit next to him. Nobody ever willingly sat next to him. That was part of the package when you had such a scary looking mug and he'd gotten used to that.

Aoba cleared his throat noisily, but half his drink was already gone and he was having trouble forming a coherent sentence. Mink slowly twisted his head and met Aoba's gaze with sharp eyes that glowed multicoloured under the party lights. In a trance like state and slightly slack-jawed, Aoba had forgotten what he was going to say. Why had he come over here again? Mink's face was intense and pulled into a tight pout, and there was something about his cheekbones and dark skin that Aoba found really beautiful. Now that he was looking at Mink up close, Aoba could appreciate a lot of his features. His toned arms and exotic hair, the way his shirt hugged his chest. Aoba sat completely frozen in awe of Mink, unable to do anything but stare.

Mink narrowed his eyes, feeling incredibly uncomfortable under Aoba's glossy gaze. "Do you want something?" he rumbled, wriggling a little further away from the boy. He could tell immediately that Aoba was very drunk and he wondered why the guy's friends weren't supervising him. He'd heard rumours that Aoba had gone to one of Koujaku's parties last year, gotten wasted and locked himself in the toilet, crying because he'd forgotten how to use the doorknob. He didn't know how true it was, but Aoba was swaying to and fro even when sitting down, and he looked pretty unpredictable and unstable. His red-rimmed eyes and slight downturn of his lips have him a desperate aura, giving Mink the impression he was drinking to escape something rather than to have fun. And that was dangerous.

"You're really...beautiful," Aoba whispered in a hushed tone, reaching out to pat Mink's face. Stunned by his honestly, Mink reflexively slapped Aoba's slender hand away, his heart violently hammering in his chest. This was the first time they'd ever properly spoken, so how was he able to be this forward with a compliment like that? Ah, it was probably the alcohol. Man, what an idiot. Mink straightened up in his seat, frowning down at Aoba. What was he going to do? He opened his mouth to ask how much Aoba had drunk tonight, but he was interrupted when Aoba blurted out something about "the dodge ball" mixed in with some other garbled words.

That was weird. It really didn't seem connected to anything, just an out of the blue exclamation. Unless...did he mean that one accident? God damn it. Mink's face flushed red and he was thankful the lights would disguise it. He remembered that day pretty well – probably a lot better than Aoba did. The heat had been ungodly for that time of year, and the ball had slipped from his sweaty grasp, sailing through the air in slow motion and slamming against Aoba's terrified looking face. Mink felt ashamed that he'd never apologised properly for it, but every time he'd gotten close to Aoba, he'd felt too intimidated to make contact. Even now, having a conversation with the blue haired boy made his chest tighten.

Mink shuffled his feet, avoiding Aoba's gaze. "Sorry..." he mumbled, feeling the heat from his face as he turned an even deeper shade of crimson. "That was an accident." Beside him, Aoba did something totally unexpected. He burst into a fit of laughter. Mink's head whipped around and he stared at Aoba with raised eyebrows. Why was he laughing? Had Mink missed something? He felt nervous and suddenly self conscious. First Aoba had been staring at him, and now he was laughing at him.

Even though his hand had been rejected before, Aoba was resilient. Reaching out clumsily, he patted Mink's shoulder gently. "It's ok!" he managed to say between giggles. "It's ok, I forgive you." He could hear the sincerity in Mink's voice and he appreciated it. He'd gotten the answers he wanted, and besides it was all in the past. Blinking lazily, he tried to think of something else to say. His train of thought drifted from the tracks and forced the words out of his mouth before he could think twice. "Why are you here?" he demanded curiously. If he'd thought about it just a little bit more, he would have realised how that could be misinterpreted and he might come across as rude. He leant forwards, finding himself eager for conversation with this person who was a complete mystery to him.

A little taken aback, Mink fumbled with his words. "I...uh..." He cleared his throat and shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning against the plump cushions and stretching his arm across the back of the sofa. Oh shit. He froze in place, suddenly acutely aware of how close Aoba was sitting to him. He could feel the dampness of the boy's clothes and he realised that his own action of getting comfortable could be misconstrued. He wanted to take it back and continue leaning on his knees, but it was too late and it would be even more awkward to retract it. God fucking damn it. Mink was such a loser and he knew it. One person shouldn't have the power to make him this flustered.

Koujaku finally spotted Aoba, in the last place he would have expected to find him – sitting next to Mink. Maybe it would be a good idea to put him on a leash or something. The most startling thing about the scene was how close their bodies were. Aoba was leaning in and Mink was pulling that stereotypical move, stretching his arm out. Koujaku glared at them from across the room, calling out "Aoba!" The thumping of the music drowned out his voice and he was about to make his way around the outskirts of the crowd, when two very tall, very blonde girls approached him. The closer they got, he realised they were also very much twins.

A faint groan of disappointment escaped Koujaku. He didn't want to pass this up, but his friend needed him. "Sorry ladies, this isn't the best time," Koujaku apologised, turning on the charm and using a casual, smooth tone. He flashed them a quick, toothy grin and moved to slide past them, but the slender hands pressing against his chest held him back. Apparently they hadn't taken the hint. One girl was stroking his hair admiringly and the other was feeling his muscular arms and muttering about how hot he was tonight. Koujaku shot a fleeting glance at Aoba and sighed, resigned. Aoba would be fine. He wasn't a little kid anymore. He could look after himself. The lines kept repeating in Koujaku's mind as he tried to convince himself he wasn't being a terrible friend. He wrapped his arms around the twins' waists and chuckled, pushing thoughts of Aoba from his mind and focussing on how to seduce the girls, which really wouldn't be that difficult.

"What kind of music do you listen to?" Aoba asked Mink, his voice so slurred that Mink had to take a second to try and decipher the individual words. He watched as Aoba continually fidgeted in place as if he needed to pee. But he never got up to pee. Maybe he was just naturally a fidgety person? Mink couldn't really be sure, but every time Aoba inched closer to him, the knot in his stomach tightened and his throat turned dry.

"I don't listen to music," Mink replied shortly, coaxing a laugh from Aoba. At least he was enjoying himself. Mink thought about everything he knew about Aoba – which wasn't much. From what he could tell, they didn't have a whole lot in common. So what was there to talk about? "Do you like birds?" he asked quietly, nervously fiddling with a stray dreadlock between his fingers. He didn't want to meet Aoba's gaze. He knew the light brown eyes would be muddled with confusion and he found it kind of embarrassing. Aoba obviously wasn't aware of how intoxicated he was.

Aoba misjudged his movement as he tried to touch Mink's hair, accidentally moving too far and too fast, and he ended up poking Mink's cheek. Warmth spread through his body as he jerked back, laughing shyly and covering his face with his hands. His own cheeks were warm and he knew he was blushing heavily. Mink's question had gone right over his head, and he now announced "I need another drink!" Pushing up from the sofa, he wobbled dangerously on his feet, but somehow managed to stand.

Mink's hand shot out and caught Aoba's wrist, gripping him tightly and stopping him mid-step. "I don't think you do," Mink told him carefully, studying Aoba's round, flushed face. "I think you should just sit down for a while."

Yanking his hand from Mink's grasp, Aoba stumbled a few steps but spun around to face him with an exaggerated pout. "You...can't tell me what to do, Min...Mink," he said, cocking an eyebrow. "Just...just because you want me to keep sitting...with you..." He trailed off distractedly, his attention now captured by the cooler which was lying on its side empty, dribbling melting ice all over the carpet. He let out a small whine and whipped his head around, looking for the kitchen. He was sure there'd be more drinks in the kitchen. And he really needed another drink. He felt like he was starting to crash.

"Aoba," Mink said steadily. "Sit down." His voice was firm and impossible to argue against. Aoba could feel himself weakening at the knees, ready to sink back into the comfort of the sofa. His vision was starting to blur considerably more, and he was feeling kind of light headed. Maybe Mink was right and he shouldn't have another drink. He opened his mouth to agree with Mink, but his tongue was too dry and thick to get the words out. Mink gently planted his large hands on Aoba's waist and dragged him down, trying to force him to sit down.

"Min...k," Aoba mumbled. "I don't feel that...good..." He blinked rapidly a few times, but his vision was a swirling mass of black. The lights from the party had disappeared to be replaced by complete darkness, and the music was so muffled he could barely hear it. "Mink..." Even his own voice sounded distant to his ears. He felt sick. Really sick. He really hoped he wouldn't throw up on Mink. The edges of the world felt like they were pressing against his mind and he felt extremely disorientated, unable to tell if his feet were still on the ground or not. He was vaguely aware of the strong arms that encircled him, but then he was completely lost to the darkness.

"Aoba!" Mink called, a tiny tinge of urgency colouring his usually calm tone. "Hey!" No answer. It looked like Aoba was really out of it. Mink shifted Aoba in his arms, positioning him comfortably in his lap, and glanced around at the faces of the crowd. He couldn't find Koujaku or any of Aoba's other friends, but a few people were giving him weird looks. He felt like some kind of lech, holding the unconscious Aoba against his body like that. But he could feel how cold the boy was and he instinctively wanted to protect him. With a rough sigh and another glance around the room to make sure no one was watching them too closely, Mink began to pat Aoba down in search of his wallet.

The act of feeling his body alone would have looked suspicious, but if anyone had seen Mink wrestling Aoba's wallet from his jeans pocket, they definitely would have gotten the wrong idea. Flipping the thin leather wallet open, Mink's eyes scanned the cards until he found the registered drivers' licence. He groaned when he read how far away Aoba's address was, but wordlessly slipped the wallet back into his pocket. Very carefully, he scooped Aoba up in his arms and stood up from the sofa, carrying him bridal-style. Aoba was lighter than he looked and his body was surprisingly fit. Against Mink's chiselled body he looked fragile, but Mink quickly realised that wasn't the case. His face flushing from their close proximity again, Mink quietly made his way to the front door, pushing through the crowd of people who were still dancing and hoping nobody was judging him.

This probably would have worked out better if Koujaku was able to take Aoba home, but he was still nowhere in sight, so Mink felt obligated to make sure he got home safely. Especially after actually talking to him, well...kind of. He could tell that underneath the drunken exterior, Aoba was a really sweet and caring guy, and he didn't deserve to be just left on the stained sofa to potentially choke to death in his sleep.

All the bodies crammed together in such a small space made it warm to the point of bring uncomfortable, but the breeze outside was nice and cool, refreshing against Mink's skin. Mink inhaled the fresh air deeply, trying to ignore the fact that Aoba was huddled against his chest, and he began to walk down the street with even paces, trying his hardest not to jostle Aoba too much. The moon was shining brightly and the sky was entirely cleared of any clouds, the stars twinkling blissfully like pinpricks of light against a dark blanket. Mink didn't have any trouble navigating through the shadows since he'd hardly had anything to drink.

Everything was peaceful once the party music had faded into the background. There were no cars driving on the road and all the busy noises of the day time had been left behind. Every now and then, you could hear bats chattering in the higher branches of the trees and dogs barking from people's yards but apart from that, it was almost completely silent. Mink glanced at Aoba to make sure he was still breathing. He could faintly feel the rise and fall of Aoba's chest, but it was intermingled with his own breathing and footsteps so it was hard to tell. The moonlight highlighted the soft features of Aoba's face and he looked incredibly vulnerable. His long lashes caressed his pale cheeks and his lips looked incredibly soft and...perfect for kissing.

Mink wanted to believe that he was doing a good deed. He was helping Aoba get home out of the goodness of his heart. But there was also something else. He wanted to be closer to Aoba. For a while now, he'd wanted Aoba to notice him, but Aoba had always been so preoccupied with his friends and Mizuki. He'd overheard some girls gossiping at the party – and he hated to admit it, but he listened to gossip and rumours fairly often – and he'd found out that Aoba and Mizuki had split up. He didn't want to take advantage of Aoba's intoxicated state but...god, did he want to kiss him. Aoba had always been something beautiful and unattainable, always just out of his reach. But here he was, resting in Mink's arms and there was still nothing Mink could do about it.

Nausea pooled in the bottom of Mink's stomach and he wanted to stop thinking about it. They were only a few blocks from Aoba's house now and then he could go home and go to sleep. Or lie in bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking about what it would feel like to kiss Aoba, to taste those delicate lips and cup his cheek in his hand. Mink sighed heavily. He was so stupid. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of his stupid thoughts. He continued walking at a steady pace, focussing on his feet and ignoring everything else, even the weight of Aoba in his arms.

When they finally arrived at Aoba's house, all the lights were predictably turned off. Mink juggled Aoba's in his arms, taking on all of his weight in one arm and skilfully knocking on the door with the other. He waited a few moments, but no answer came so it seemed like nobody was home. This night probably couldn't get any more troublesome. Mink put Aoba down on the porch, leaning him against the house, and patted him down once again, this time attempting to locate the house keys. Instead of the prying eyes of school peers, Mink had to be cautious of the neighbours. He really hoped nobody would happen to glance out the window and spot him right now. Everything he did just looked too damn suspicious even if he had good intentions. That was the curse of having a scary looking face.

But Aoba...he'd said Mink's face was beautiful. Mink's heart raced remembering the words, but he had to wonder if it was sincere or if it was just the alcohol talking. He fumbled with the keys for a moment, using trial-and-error to fit the right one in the lock. Finally he gained entrance to the house. He swung the door wide open and took off his shoes, using them to hold the door open while he turned his attention back to the slumbering Aoba. His head was tilted down with his chin dropped to his chest and Mink panicked for a moment, leaping forwards to adjust the boy's position. He remembered from all his PE classes that leaving a drunken person like that was dangerous. He felt unbearably responsible for Aoba right now, and he wanted to make sure everything was 100% okay before leaving him alone.

Scooping Aoba up in his arms again, Mink took him inside, flicking on the light switch with his elbow. The lights flickered on and he squinted while his pupils adjusted. Standing in the centre of the entrance, Mink wondered where Aoba's room might be. Upstairs was probably a good place to start, but he just hoped he wouldn't accidentally drop Aoba on the way. Each step was slow and painful, his socks threatening to slip against the polished wood. He kept his concentration focussed and maintained his balance and grip on Aoba, safely making it to the top of the stairs and sighing in relief. The Geography test he took last week was probably easier than that ordeal. He decided to try the room that was closest to him first, and luckily it turned out to be Aoba's.

Piles of books and various computer parts were strewn all over the floor, but some moonlight seeped in through the curtains, illuminating the path to the bed. Mink carefully laid Aoba down with his mess of blue hair resting on the pillow and took his shoes off, dumping them on the floor by the end of his bed. He left Aoba there for a moment, going downstairs to shut the door and fetch a glass of water from the kitchen. He opened four cupboards before he finally found the right one, grumbling to himself about how much he hated being in other people's kitchens. He went back upstairs and placed the water on the small table beside Aoba's bed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Mink gazed at Aoba with a degree of fondness that he only felt comfortable admitting to himself now because Aoba was asleep. With the gentlest and lightest touch he could muster, he petted Aoba's head soothingly, smiling at the sleeping boy. He felt fine to leave him now. In the back of his mind he wished he could stay longer and watch over him, but some people didn't like being watched while they slept. He didn't want to inadvertently be the cause of Aoba's nightmares. He'd done enough for one night, he thought. As he was pressing his hands on the bed to stand, slender fingers tangled in the fabric of his shirt. He looked down, surprised to see Aoba's eyes were open, reflecting a sliver of the moonlight back at him.

"Mink...?" Aoba mumbled groggily, grunting as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "How did I get here? Did you...?" His speech was still slurred but he seemed slightly better than before. His eyes widened as he realised he was still tightly gripping Mink's shirt and he hurriedly let go, his hands resting nervously in his lap. Now that they were both awake and moderately alert, neither boy seemed to know what to do or what to say to each other.

"Go back to sleep," Mink advised. "I'll...see you at school on Monday." A wave of exhaustion washed over his body as he said those words. He could have happily flopped backwards on the bed and fallen asleep before his body had even hit the mattress. He smiled gently at Aoba and moved to stand, but once again Aoba didn't let him.

"Mink," Aoba said firmly, staring straight into his eyes. He sounded oddly confident and his pronunciation was somewhat sharper. Had something changed in the last few minutes that Mink had failed to notice? The air between them seemed tense but he couldn't pinpoint why it would be. "Mink..." Aoba repeated, sighing. His voice had a lustful quality to it and he leant towards Mink, his lips hovering centimetres away and his breath lingering on Mink's skin. Aoba was still definitely intoxicated. This was bad.

"Mink..." Aoba said again, his voice almost turning into a desperate moan. His hands pressed against Mink's hard chest, his fingertips feeling his muscles through the fabric even though he was too drunk to properly appreciate them. "I want you...to wreck me..." he whispered huskily, causing Mink's breath to hitch. This was really bad.

Mink's fingers wove into the back of Aoba's hair, tilting his head down as he tenderly pressed his lips to Aoba's forehead. "I can't," he told him quietly, struggling to suppress the urge to kiss Aoba's lips. "Believe me, I want to...but it's not the right time."

A pout formed on Aoba's face and disappointment leached into his bones. He was incredibly restless and he just wanted to touch someone. He wanted to lose his mind and scream out in pleasure. He wanted to forget about everything bad that had happened the day before. He wanted someone to destroy him. No, not just someone. He wanted Mink. And not just because he was there and it was convenient. Aoba felt certain that it wasn't just the alcohol causing him to make a foolish decision. He wanted to get to know Mink on another level. He wanted to break past that hard exterior and find out what the real Mink was like. He thought he'd caught a glimpse of it, after being brought home and being taken care of. But he wanted to know for sure.

"Are you even going to remember this conversation?" Mink asked, leaning back to look Aoba in the eyes. The boy definitely seemed more stable than earlier, but there was just no telling. Mink wanted to make sure that whatever he said wouldn't go to waste...or alternatively, if he happened to make an idiot of himself, he'd know he should hide his face in disgrace later on. Aoba nodded and Mink didn't know whether he should feel relieved or concerned, or if he should even trust Aoba's word on that.

"I'm sorry," Aoba murmured quietly, pressing his face into Mink's chest. "I made you go to all this trouble, and I put you in an awkward position. I'm sorry, Mink." All Mink could do was rub Aoba's back soothingly, unsure of what to say. He was clumsy with his words in any normal situation, but something as intimate as this only made things that much harder for him. A long pause fell between them before Mink finally spoke again, his voice rumbling in the silence.

"Did you really mean it when you called me beautiful?" he asked, his tone more like he was simply wondering aloud. Aoba shifted in his arms, craning his neck to plant a soft kiss on Mink's lips, taking him by surprise. His lips were just as soft as they looked and unfortunately at the moment they tasted like lime.

"Yes," Aoba whispered. "I meant it. Even if I wasn't drunk, I would have said the same thing. You're beautiful, Mink. You're different and you're beautiful and I'm sorry that I never got to appreciate that until now." His words came tumbling out of his mouth, but he didn't regret them at all. He smiled after completing his little speech, and snuggled back against Mink's warm body, absorbing his heat. He could hear Mink's heart beating rapidly against his ribcage and it brought a smile to his lips. Knowing that he had that kind of effect on Mink gave him a perverse sense of pleasure, but at the same time he knew his heart was hammering just as fast.

"Thank you," Mink replied, his voice almost inaudible. He'd seen Aoba's mood swing in several vastly different directions throughout the night, but he finally felt like he'd just witnessed the true Aoba. His words had been carefully chosen to touch Mink's heart, and they'd stick with him from now on wherever he went. He wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and hugged him tightly. He knew it was late – or early depending on how you looked at it – and he should probably go home soon, but he couldn't bring himself to break their embrace. After a little while, Aoba's breathing slowed and Mink realised he'd fallen asleep again. Well, now he definitely couldn't leave.

In awkward, jerky movements, Mink managed to move himself and Aoba into a comfortable lying down position without waking him up, cuddling up close to each other and sharing the warmth under the fluffy blanket. He felt like an intruder in Aoba's home, but as long as the blue haired boy's arms were around him, he'd take that as a sign that he was wanted.

The next morning, a beam of sunlight penetrated the gap in the curtains, highlighting a thin strip across the floor and the bottom corner of the bed. Aoba stirred in Mink's arms and sat bolt upright, blinking, confused and disorientated with a dry throat and an intense headache. Where was he? Why was Mink in his bed? What happened last night? He grappled with several thoughts at once, his head pounding in pain. He managed to recall most of what happened, including that important conversation with Mink, which he was glad about. Rubbing his temples to try and ward off the oncoming headache, he gazed down at Mink, whose face was peaceful with slumber. Aoba's eyes were weary from sleep, but he followed the outline of Mink's strong jaw, and even in his hungover state, he was still in total awe of Mink's beauty.

Gently shaking Mink by the shoulder, Aoba whispered, "Mink, wake up." He felt bad for disturbing his peace, but he would have felt even worse if he'd gone downstairs and Mink had woken up to find himself alone in a stranger's bed. As Mink rolled over and blinked slowly, a smile spread across Aoba's face. His head hurt like hell, but he was intensely glad nothing had happened between him and Mink last night. When he thought about it (which was a struggle) he realised that Mink was right, and it hadn't been the right time. Mink slowly sat up and pressed a light, shy kiss to Aoba's cheek and Aoba decided right there and then that he wanted to put the effort into getting to know Mink better. Even if he hadn't seen Mink's erotics expressions last night, he'd seen a side of Mink that he doubted many other people had seen.

"Good morning," Aoba greeted, keeping his voice low to avoid aggravating his headache. "Did you sleep well?" It felt weird saying that. The only person he'd ever said it to before was Mizuki. He knew deep down that Mink could never replace Mizuki, but he didn't feel so bad about everything now. Instead of looking at the breakup like a tragedy, it was sort of an opportunity to move on and grow. If that hadn't happened, he wouldn't have woken up to see Mink's face. So it was kind of worth it.

Mink grunted in response, avoiding Aoba's gaze and making Aoba wonder if he'd said something wrong. Aoba fidgeted for a moment, unable to think of anything else to say. Actually, he was just plain unable to think. His chronic hangover was really weighing him down but he was trying not to let Mink see that. Almost as if he'd read Aoba's mind, Mink flicked the side of Aoba's head with his thumb and forefinger and smiled. "How's your head?" he asked, politely also keeping his voice quiet.

A small shrug was all Aoba could offer, so Mink decided to ask something else that had been plaguing his mind. "Where are your parents?" He knew it might have been an insensitive question. If anyone had asked him, he would have avoided the topic entirely. His parents were dead, and he hoped that Aoba wouldn't give a similar answer to his. Aoba didn't deserve that. He deserved a loving family. Mink was concerned about why no one had been home to help take care of him last night.

Aoba just shrugged again. "It's just me and Granny," he replied, a bitter smile playing on his lips. He didn't really want to talk about his abandonment issues first thing in the morning, but he could sense that Mink wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't important to him somehow. Aoba tried to be considerate of both of their feelings. "Let's go downstairs," he said quickly, changing the topic. He grabbed Mink's hand and dragged him out of bed.

Their footsteps on the wooden stairs echoed through Aoba's head, reverberating in a symphony of pain. It was amazing, really. He fervently regretted drinking so much last night. He always regretted drinking too much, but he kept doing it anyway. He was glad he had someone like Mink to help him get home, otherwise he had no idea where he might have woken up or who he might have woken up next to. Mink lead the way into the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, "Do you have any eggs?"

Smugly, Aoba replied, "They're on the second shelf in the fridge." He hadn't expected to be treated to a cooked breakfast, but he wasn't complaining. He sat down at the kitchen table, stretching his arms above his head as he yawned, watching Mink rummage around in the giant fridge.

Mink took two eggs out and retrieved a glass from the cupboard by the stove. Aoba watched, fascinated as Mink cracked the eggs straight into the glass, and then moved on to fetch several more ingredients from the pantry. He added what looked like pepper and soy sauce and something else, stirred the concoction and then placed it on the table in front of Aoba. "Drink it," Mink ordered, sliding into the seat diagonally opposite him. "It'll cure your hangover."

"Are you sure?" Aoba asked, staring at the slimy contents of the glass with a disdainful and mildly disgusted expression. "Because I think this could kill me." Mink chuckled and folded his arms across his broad chest, not needing to say another word. Aoba grimaced and sniffed the glass. Nope, he definitely was not going to drink that.

"Wuss," Mink teased, a light smile tugging at the edges of his lips. He had bags under his eyes and he looked like he still needed a decent night's sleep, but he still managed to look cheerful in his own way. The crease between his eyebrows was still there and Aoba smiled, remembering how scary he used to think Mink looked. But deep down, Mink was just as big a wuss as he was.

"We should go on a proper date some time," Aoba commented, pushing the glass away from him. Mink sat bolt upright, suddenly as stiff as a board and incredibly pale. Aoba glared at him, not really seeing why his words should have warranted that kind of reaction. Mink shook his head slowly, staring at something behind Aoba, and Aoba slowly turned around, a dreadful sensation creeping over his shoulders.

A closed fist met the side of his head and suddenly his Granny was screaming, "What the hell did you think you were doing coming home at such a ridiculous time? And how damn drunk were you? You useless brat!" Aoba cringed visibly in his seat, holding his aching head in his hands. It hurt so much more than before; he could hardly believe it was possible. "And just who the hell is this?" Granny demanded, pointing rudely at Mink.

"Mink," Mink told her, still pale faced and rigid. Aoba couldn't blame him. Meeting Granny for the first time sure was an experience. Mink didn't really know what to do. He didn't really know what he was witnessing. He felt like he owed the pink haired woman a proper introduction, but it didn't seem like the appropriate time for it.

"Oh, ok," Granny said slowly, dragging her syllables out mockingly and pretending to think about it. "I don't care! Get out!" she yelled, swinging her arm in a wild gesture and pointing to the door, her furious scowl leaving no room for questions. She planted her hands firmly on her hips and stared Mink down as he pushed away from the table.

"Uh, Aoba, I'll message you later...or see you at school or something," Mink said as he passed behind Aoba, his tone slightly apologetic with a touch of fear. Aoba almost laughed out loud at the thought of Mink being afraid of Granny. But then again, she was a pretty scary lady.

"Out!" Granny repeated, her voice harsh. Mink quickly and quietly left without another word and Aoba's amusement died immediately. "You," Granny said menacingly as she turned the stove on. "Don't say a word. Just sit there and shut up while I make your damn breakfast."

"Thanks, Granny," Aoba mumbled dejectedly, propping his elbow on the table and leaning his cheek against his palm. He stared after Mink thoughtfully. It would have been nicer to have said goodbye properly. Or even if Aoba could have gotten his phone number so he could actually text him later. Now he'd have to wait until tomorrow to see him at school, which would probably be kind of awkward and he didn't want that.

The pan in front of Granny started sizzling in no time, and Aoba was surprised to hear her sigh. "If you run, you might be able to catch him," she said, not even bothering to glance over her shoulder at him.

A wide grin spread across Aoba's face and he scrambled up from the table. "Thanks, Granny!" he called on his way out the door, his feet racing ahead of his mind. He sprinted down the street, his eyes glued to the tall figure who was just on the corner. "Hey Mink! Wait up!"


End file.
